Patty Jenkins discusses the end of one project and the beginning of another as she gives an update on the status of her planned Star Wars movie.
Ever since the release of Wonder Woman 1984 back in 2020, Patty Jenkins has jumped from blockbuster project to blockbuster project, but without ever getting to the point of actually entering production. As such, we’re now four years on from the release of that film and Jenkins is still developing films to make.
While we’re hoping that her career doesn’t undergo a 14 year movie directing hiatus like the gap that exists on her filmography between 2003’s Monster and 2017’s Wonder Woman, it has been four years now where she’s moved from project to project as the tectonic plates of Hollywood have continually shifted beneath her.
There was a Cleopatra project with Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot that Jenkins was set to direct. Then we learned she would just be producing it as she was busy with plans for Wonder Woman 3 and Rogue Squadron, a new entry in the Star Wars universe. However, as both Lucasfilm and Warner Bros made significant pivots following dismal fortunes in their respective franchises, Jenkins found her projects frozen.
Read more: Wonder Woman 1984 review | An uncynical superhero sequel
Happily, the filmmaker’s Rogue Squadron project is now back on at Lucasfilm and she appeared on the Talking Pictures Podcast to offer an update on how that process is proceeding. Back in 2022, the film was dropped from Lucasfilm’s production schedule as the studio found itself struggling to confidently green light projects in the wake of 2019’s poorly-received The Rise Of Skywalker.
It’s back on track now though, although as far as we know, it hasn’t been added back onto the studio’s production slate yet. Jenkins chatted a little about the process, saying:
“So, when I left Star Wars to do Wonder Woman 3, and I started working on that, we talked about, ‘Well, maybe I’ll come back to Star Wars after Wonder Woman 3, so we started a deal for that to happen,” she said.
“When Wonder Woman 3 then went away, Lucasfilm and I were like, ‘oh, we’ve got to finish this deal.’ We finished the deal right as the strike was beginning, so I now owe a draft of Star Wars. So we will see what happens there. Who knows?”
Read more: Lucasfilm and Star Wars | The status of its 2020 slate of TV and film projects
Jenkins said that Lucasfilm has “a hard job in front of them of what’s the first movie they’re going to do,” adding, “They have other directors who have been working, but I am now back on doing Rogue Squadron. We’ll see what happens. We need to get it to where we’re both super happy with it.”
When it comes to Lucasfilm, that’s easier said than done, given that the studio has become notorious over the past decade for demonstrating little faith in the filmmakers it hires to tell stories in its universe. Jenkins also added that Wonder Woman 3 would probably never happen now that the DC Universe is being rebooted.
When asked if her third film was likely scrapped, she responded by saying “yeah, for the time being, but probably easily forever.”
It’s worth remembering though that in Hollywood, forever is a long time, especially when there are things like multiverses floating around. In the meantime, we’ll keep you updated on the many twists and turns that almost certainly lie ahead for Star Wars Rogue Squadron as we hear them. If you’d like a quick rundown on what the movie could be about, we’ve got a quick history of when and where Rogue Squadron have popped up in other Star Wars tales right here.
